It's just an honor to meet you
by dreamboatqueen
Summary: Steve wasn't looking for a friend, but he found one in Jane's research assistant; Darcy Lewis. But when Moonstone poses a threat to Earth and loved ones of the Avengers, will they be able to get past her manipulation and come together to fight? This is their story. Steve/Darcy. SHIELDSHOCK! Rated T for minor language.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

After Darcy Lewis experienced less than traumatic events during her research assistance with Jane Foster, she decided to keep working for her. Most would simply think they had gone insane; witnessing some homeless-looking buff guy obsessed with a hammer save Earth. Not only once, but twice. Now everybody knew about Thor and all his little hero buddies. During that time, Jane and Darcy were put under S.H.I.E.L.D. custody while the threat of being brain-washed by the bad guys was still evident. But now of course, Jane resided in the Stark Tower; now called the Avengers Tower, with her esteemed god of a boyfriend.

Working in the tower was supposed to be a _good_ thing; in Tony Stark's lab Jane would have endless modern technology to advance her research in astrophysics. Being a lab assistant wasn't exactly thrilling, so the change of scenery would be quite entertaining to Darcy. Also meeting 'Earth's mightiest heroes' had some appeal to it.

As she entered the building, she tried to find the floor dedicated to labs. Everything in the tower was shiny and immaculate, looking like it was always freshly polished. As she turned down to get her cellphone out of her pocket and call Jane she was interrupted by none other than _the_ Tony Stark.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Uh, hi... I'm uh, Jane Foster's assistant. She's expecting me." Darcy said, looking the famed man over.

"Ah, Darcy. We're expecting you. I hear you're quite the useful lab assistant. Might have to steal you myself." Tony said, tilting his head to the side to examine Darcy.

"Um. I guess that's me." she said, nodding her head and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Jane is upstairs with Blondie. I'll take you up there and show you around." he said.

Darcy proceeded to follow him to the elevator riding up to the top floor in a somewhat awkward silence. Being in a small closed space with one of America's most brilliant engineers was only _kind of_ intimidating. As soon as she saw Jane's face her whole body instantly relaxed, happy to see a familiar face. Jane grinned at her, turning to the rest of the people in the room.

"Everybody, this is my research assistant Darcy. She's going to be working in the lab with all of us now." Jane said, smiling ear to ear. _Excuse me? All of us?_ Darcy thought.

"Lady Darcy, it is of utmost pleasure to see you again." Thor's voice boomed. A curvy redheaded woman got up and walked out of the room. _Real friendly_ thought Darcy.

"That was Natasha," Jane said with a sigh. "This is Clint," she said pointing at the man who was sitting at a table writing something down. He looked up for a moment and gave a quick nod. "Bruce is down in the lab, and I don't know where Steve is. I guess we'll introduce you later. Now, come with me and I'll help you find your way around." She whisked Darcy away.

Once Darcy was in the swing of things and working for a few hours, she was sent up to the kitchen to get some water for Jane. It was very easy to get lost in the tower, but Darcy now had the help of JARVIS if she got lost. In the kitchen, she was surprised to find Captain America, reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee. _Who reads the newspaper?_ she thought. Ever since Darcy had been a little girl she only dreamed about this moment, seeing Captain America in person. Her father and grandfather were both veterans from different eras who idolized the captain and claimed he was the hero of our world. Darcy's grandfather had even fought behind him in the war._  
_

"Hey, you must be Darcy. I'm Steve." he said, extending his hand out to her. She took it and felt his strength even through a weak handshake.

"Oh. Wow. Uh yeah I know who you are." she said, laughing nervously. _You sound like an idiot_ she told herself. "It's really an honor to uh, meet you. I kind of had a major crush on you when I was little." Darcy laughed softly, feeling the heat rush to her face. "I had this action figure, and I would have like, weddings where I was Mrs. Captain America."

"Great to meet a fan," Steve said politely, nodding his head. _I'm probably beyond creeping him out, shit _she thought.

"Uh, just forget what I said. It's just an honor to meet you." Darcy said, smiling. He made an amused face and looked at her.

"It's fine. It's flattering if anything. I'd be proud to have you as my Mrs." he said with a smile. _This is actually happening_ Darcy thought. Suddenly, JARVIS spoke.

"Dr. Foster requires your presence in the lab, Ms. Lewis." the AI said.

"Um, that's my queue. I'll see you around." she said, quickly exiting the room. And just like that, she was acquainted with _the_ Steve Rogers. Once she got back down to the lab she found Tony and Bruce had left, leaving only Jane and her.

"So, JARVIS said you were 'conversing with Mr. Rogers'" Jane said with a laugh. Darcy grinned, shaking her head.

"I mean it's not every day you get to meet the hero of World War II." she said with a shrug. "Did all guys from that time look that _good_?"

"I think you're forgetting that he's a _super soldier_." Jane said with a laugh.

* * *

This is my first fic ever. Darcy/Steve story inspired by a random gif manip set I saw on tumblr. Spun it into my own story. Right now I'm struggling on the tense of the writing but it's coming along for further chapters, I promise. This story will not be as bad and cheesy as it seems right now. Please keep reading, reviews are appreciated!

**Disclaimer:****I do not own anything except my works of fiction.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

One night after a few weeks of working at the tower, as Darcy was leaving the building at the same time as Steve.

"Hey," she said. "Where are you off to?"

"Just a walk, I guess." Steve said. "Not much to do around here."

"Not much to do? Are you kidding! You're in freaking New York City! Come on, you're coming with me." Darcy said, pulling on his arm. Stunned by her unusual enthusiasm, Steve was reluctant but followed her. She turned around with a shy smile and looked at him. She couldn't help but feel comfortable around Steve, he was one of those people who just had a certain warmth about them that made you trust them instinctively.

"Hungry?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I could do with something to eat." Steve said, with a nod of his head.

With that, Darcy quickened her pace, pulling Steve along a few more blocks. She didn't stop at streets and a few cars honked furiously at her, but she paid no attention. Finally she stopped in front of a tiny run down little place that looked like a hole in the wall. The barely lit sign read "_Vinny's_" with one of the n's burnt out. Darcy turned around with a very serious look.

"Get ready to have the best pizza of your crazy old life." She said. Steve could only laugh as she released his arm and went inside. He followed, unsure of how Darcy found such a place.

"Hey Vinny," she said, walking in and talking a seat at the only table in the place. Steve took the seat across from her, barely fitting on the tiny chair.

"Darcy! You brought a friend finally, eh?" A man, presumably Vinny, with a thick italian accent said from behind the counter where he was making pizzas.

"Two of the usual, please." Darcy said with a grin. After the man went in the back she turned to face Steve. "I promise it's amazing and I'm not kidnapping you for no reason."

"So how exactly did you find this place?" Steve asked, curious at the girl he knew so little about.

"New York's full of people, but it can get kind of lonely sometimes, y'know? Especially since I'm from New Mexico; where everybody knows everybody and next to nothing happens." She said, rolling her eyes just thinking about her home. "My roommate's a real asshat, so I spend most of my time exploring the city when I'm not working. One day I was absolutely famished and couldn't decide on a place to eat, and this was the place I happened to stumble upon. Pretty dingy, right?"

Steve nodded, looking around the place. "You don't miss home?" He asked.

"Seriously? That's what you got out of that?" Darcy laughed. "No I don't. My parents couldn't wait to have me out of their hair and my grandpa told me this was an opportunity I just couldn't miss. What about you? Still stuck in the 1900s?"

"It's just a lot to get used to." He said, frowning. "Everyone I knew is dead along with everything I know."

"I'm sorry..." She said, looking down. "If it's any help, you're my grandpa's idol." Darcy let a small smile appear on her face. Just the mention made her miss her grandfather, even though she never wanted to move back to New Mexico.

"Great, maybe he can teach me how to use this damn iPhone." Steve said with a soft laugh. Damn, his smile could light up a room.

When Vinny walked over and set down their plates, two slices of bacon pizza on each, both Darcy and Steve's stomachs felt the need to growl from the smell alone. The aroma that filled the room smelt heavenly and it took all of Steve's manners to not just simply stuff his face. He saw that Darcy had no such manners, so he began to eat too. The way the cheese melted in his mouth with the perfectly baked crust was _amazing_.

"Alright, you now have permission to take me out to eat whenever you'd like." He said, smiling.

"Good to know. I might have to hold you to that." She said, taking another large bite.

Once they finished Darcy tried to pay but Steve refused to let her, giving Vinny the cash and telling him to keep the change. He was a nice guy like that, unlike any guy Darcy had ever taken an interest in. He was a real gentleman who proved that chivalry wasn't dead.

"So. Where to now?" Steve asked her as they stepped outside into the chilly air of nighttime in New York

"Oh." Darcy says, her cheeks turning pink. "I thought you would want to go home."

"Well, I can if you want." He says with an awkward laugh. "Maybe we should walk off all those calories we just took in."

"Good idea." Darcy says, grinning. "I know just the place to go at this time of year."

"What's so special about fall? It's onl-" he began before she grabbed his arm and started to run. Maybe this would be a recurring thing.

They got many stares, running through the streets of downtown New York City like a couple of crazy kids. It was cold enough that one could see their hot breath in the air for just a moment before it was gone like them. Darcy slowed when they came to a small junkyard. She motioned for Steve to be quiet while she began to climb the fence.

"This doesn't seem like a-" Steve started before he got hushed by her. He stood there for a moment, before deciding to follow her over. He got over quicker than her and let her jump down into his arms. He watched her cheeks burn as she let herself go from his grip and started towards a giant hill. Once they reached the top, Steve was at a loss for words. You could see the whole city practically, shining bright and humming with activity, yet it was secluded and quiet where they were.

"There's the tower," Darcy said with a grin, pointing to the huge tower with an A on it.

"Wow, this is amazing." He said, then looked down to her. "Thank you for showing me this."

Darcy shrugged. "I like it better than the top of the tower. It's more remote. Reminds me a bit of home."

And together they sat there for hours talking. Darcy inquired about his old life, family, and friends. He inquired about hers, even though she was reluctant to talk about them.

"Holy shit, it's midnight." Darcy said, looking at her phone. "I should get home, I have to help Jane with this research in the morning. Fucking astrophysics hurt my head." She saw Steve get noticeably uncomfortable with her language. "Oh shit, I'm sorry. I mean. Crap. I'm sorry; I forgot you're an actual gentleman. I'm sorry I really am. I'll see you tomorrow."

"It's fine, Darcy." Steve says. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't walk a lady home?" He asks, raising his eyebrows.

She bit her lip. "We have to hurry." She says, looking at him seriously.

"I think you'll be slowing _me_ down." Steve says with a soft laugh.

And with that, he walked her home at a steady pace. Her apartment was several blocks away but they had made it in record time. As Darcy struggled to get her keys out of her pocket, looking to Steve once she did.

"I had fun." She said, grinning. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Steve said. "Sleep well."

* * *

See! It gets better. Somewhat. This was super fluffy, sorry. Just trying to build a bit of a relationship before I can get into the action. :) Which will obviously be the best part. Reviews are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing. :) I'm trying to post a bunch so everything stays fresh because I personally only read completed stories so I can read them all at once.

To **Fire Daughter**, thank you so much. I'm trying to not rush anything between the two, they barely even consider each other friends yet. Darcy only admires Steve's good looks haha. They will not be in an official relationship for a loooong time. Won't even kiss until probably twenty chapters in! HA! Just kidding. You'll never know. ;)

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

Darcy walked through the Stark tower doors with a tan scarf wrapped tight around her neck, carrying her and Jane's coffees. She cursed under her breath as she almost spilled some on herself. The elevator opened and to her surprise carried Steve, who looked like he was trying to surpress laughter. _God his face is beautiful_ she thought.

"Late start?" He asks with a smirk.

"Seriously! Shut up! I'm only twenty five minutes late! Now if you'd excuse me before it becomes twenty six." Darcy said while rolling her eyes, pushing past him impatiently as he walked out and pressing the button that takes her to the labs floor.

As she walks into the lab she can tell Jane's not happy with her. It comes in handy to be best friends with your boss sometimes. It's not like Jane would _fire_ her.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I lost track of time last night. Slept through my alarm clock. I got Starbucks to make it up to you." Darcy said, a pleading smile on her face while she handed her a drink. Jane frowned.

"Darcy. You can't be late. We're on the verge of some _seriously_ groundbreaking stuff here!" Jane exclaimed, pacing back and forth. "I'm talking the conclusion to my thesis!"

"I know I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again. Promise. I was out with Steve and we lost track of time." Darcy said.

"Steve? Since when are you friends with _Steve_? Even if you _were_ with him, his idea of a late night is around 9 o'clock." Jane said, raising her eyebrows. Darcy shrugged. "JARVIS, what time did Steve get home last night?"

"Mr. Rogers came home at 1:03 am last night, Ms. Foster." JARVIS responds. Proof. Jane gives Darcy an odd look then shrugs it off.

When Darcy goes to get lunch, she's surprised to find Tony in the kitchen. He looks as if he's going mad tearing apart the place looking for something. Darcy tilts her head, looking at him.

"Uh, hi." She said.

"Oh, Darcy. Hello, maybe you can help me. _Pepper_ has seemed to misplace all of my Redbulls. A genius like me needs fuel." He said. Darcy nodded slowly and began to help him search. Way back in a cupboard, she finds a six pack packaging containing two small cans left.

"Mission accomplished." She said, grinning, holding them up.

"Wow. How ever can I repay you?" Tony says, then thinks for a moment. "Ah, how bout you join me and take one for yourself?" Darcy shrugs and sits at the small table, flipping open the tab of the can and taking a sip. Damn, definitely an acquired taste, that's for sure. _How the hell could people have it with vodka? _she thought.

"So, I get the feeling Pepper doesn't like Redbull." She said sarcastically.

"No, not exactly." Tony said, frowning, looking at his drink. "Claims it's junk that ruins your brain. _I_ beg to differ. I mean, I'm living proof. What I really want to discuss is what you did to Uncle Sam last night."

"Did to _who_?" She asks, confused.

"Cap'n. Y'know. The super soldier. Boy, he never goes out, but even more rare is his homecoming in the late hours of the night. He claims he was with _you_." Tony says, pointing a finger at her and raising an eyebrow.

"I took him to have some actual _fun_. He needs more of that. He's a buzzkill." Darcy says, wrinkling her nose. Tony rolls his eyes.

"I _guess_. But if I didn't know any better, I would say he had _sex_ last night." Tony said, clearly annoyed. Darcy tried to look at him seriously.

"Oh yeah, I rocked the captain's world." she said, then let out a soft laugh. "I think he would cringe if I touched him. So, no I did not _sleep_ with him, since you're asking so politely." She retorted.

"Good. Because he could be your grandfather, y'know. Maybe he slept with your great aunt." Tony said, shrugging.

"Yeah, ok." Darcy said, rolling her eyes. When suddenly Steve came in, freshly showered with his hair still damp. Darcy looked him over, _damn_ she thought.

"SHIELD meeting in twenty minutes, Stark." He said, nodding towards him.

"Okay, grandpa." Tony says, getting up and finishing the last sip of his Redbull. He walked off briskly leaving his bitter tone in the air.

"So are you two like... Friends?" Darcy asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

"It's complicated." Steve said, sitting down. "You should stay for dinner tonight. Tony seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Lucky me." Darcy said with a dry laugh. "I should probably go home, seeing as I was already late this morning."

"Oh come on. You don't want to go to dinner with an arrogant engineer, an angry scientist, the god of thunder, two assasins, and me?" He asked with a smirk. "Plus Jane and Pepper." He added.

"Fine," she said with that smile that Steve loved to see. He couldn't explain it, but there was something so _special_ about seeing Darcy smile genuinely.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter. I am posting another in a second. Next chapter will be even shorter, but I felt it should be its own.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

"The woman calls herself 'Moonstone' because she took some Kree lifestone to get her powers. Her real name was Karla Sofen and she was a psychologist. Using the stone she can fly, cannot be touched, and shine blinding lights along with lasers from her hands. She also gained skill in hand-to-hand combat somewhere. _Because_ she's a psychologist, she knows how the mind works and will manipulate the hell out of it. She's been terrorizing labs along the west coast, so be ready to be called to action soon." Fury said, shaking his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Natasha tense up. An odd form of humanity she never shows.

"I am otherwise engaged I am afraid." said Thor. "I am scheduled to return to Asgard for a fortnight in two days time."

Thor was living a life trying to balance being the heir to the throne of another realm _and_ being one of Earth's greatest saviors. Needless to say, New York had been getting some random bursts of thunder, thanks to the traveling god. He could be classified as a 'frequent flyer'.

"She doesn't sound _that_ serious, I'm sure we can handle her, don't worry Goldilocks." Tony said, always the one to simply brush off any threat to the team.

"Do not underestimate her. It is not her superhuman powers or skills that you should fear but her abilities to manipulate your mind." Fury said. "As if you guys don't already have problems getting along."

Although the Avengers were like a family, they had their petty squabbles too. Wasn't that a _part_ of family? Tony and Steve couldn't even agree on what to eat for dinner, but they were still close friends. Bruce had a hard time trusting anyone, although he was slowly learning to come out of his shell, just not the _human_ one. Natasha and Clint were as cold as ever, but there were rare moments when they let themselves break their stony expressions to let themselves be part of the family. Moments where they opened up were very rare. Thor was a contributing factor to why they all got along, being so naive and sometimes ignorant(in a good way). That was it; the Avengers wouldn't work without being a _whole_.

"What does she want with the scientists?" Bruce asks, rubbing his forehead.

"It's unclear currently." Fury says.

"How will we know her next attack plan?" Steve asks, furrowing his eyebrows in concern.

"We won't." Fury says.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter. I felt this deserved to be a chapter all to itself. But two chapters in one day so it evens out! ;) Moonstone is actually a real Marvel character who is a foe of the Avengers. I am trying to be a little more creative with her, to make things more interesting. I took her backstory and ran with it. You shall see in later chapters(muahahaha). Thanks for sticking with me! Promise another update tomorrow and many over the weekend. Happy reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

Darcy sat at the huge table, filled with Clint, Natasha, Thor, Jane, Tony, Pepper, Bruce, and Steve in marvel of how loud it could get in there. Bruce and Thor were arguing about how serious of a threat Moonstone was and if Thor should postpone his trip, Clint and Natasha were fighting about the best weapon to take her down, and Jane was discussing wedding dresses with Pepper who was newly engaged to Tony. While Tony was arguing with Steve about Moonstone's next move.

"The attacks on labs stopped a few weeks ago. She obviously has what she needs. She'll be planning a bigger attack to do whatever she wants. _And_ she'll be expecting us." Tony said, cutting into his dinner and taking a bite.

"She's torn through so many labs there's no way she's looking for something she's looking for _someone._" Steve said. "We should plan that her next attack will be more scientists."

Darcy sat at her spot, chewing on a piece of steak quietly. She took a sip of water, turning to hear Jane and Pepper's conversation. _Girls are so freaking crazy about weddings_ she thought to herself. When she turned again Bruce was staring right at her.

"So, you like science?" He asked with a smile.

"More or less." Darcy said with a shrug. "Don't tell Jane but I hate astrophysics."

He smiled. "So what are you doing with a job you hate?"

"I don't hate my job. I dunno. I majored in political science and Jane was the only job available for credit. Two years later, I'm still here." She said.

"Huh. Political science." Bruce said.

"Honestly, I just needed to pick a major." Darcy said with a laugh. At the time, political science didn't seem too bad.

"Interesting enough. You seem to know what you're doing in a lab though." He said.

"I guess Jane taught me well. Maybe I should be a professional researcher." She said sarcastically. Bruce laughed.

"Friend Darcy, you would seem to suit our small family quite well." Thor said. Darcy tried hard not to burst out laughing at everything the Norse god said.

"Guess so. Although I feel like the odd one out. You know. Being normal and all." She said looking down and smiling to herself.

"I'm normal!" Jane said, hitting her friend on the arm lightly.

"You're in cahoots with a _god_." Darcy reminded her.

"I think I'm the most normal here for sure." Pepper said with a small smile.

"Uh, far from it. You are the only one who can tolerate Stark 24/7. That's just not normal." Steve said with a soft laugh. The comment made everyone smile too, because it was true. Tony and Pepper complimented each other perfectly. And their recent engagement was an exciting time for the Avengers family.

By the time dinner was over, all the arguments were put to rest. Thor and Jane went to their room, Clint and Natasha scattered, Bruce went down to his lab, and Tony went off with Pepper somewhere. It left Darcy and Steve together, sitting on the couch.

"So, what'd you think? Ready to join the family?" He asked with a laugh.

"I don't know if I'd fit in. I'm not a superhero and I'm sure as hell not a heroine." Darcy said with dry laugh. Steve smiled.

"I wouldn't doubt either of those just yet." He said, seeing her raise an eyebrow.

"Is there a super sarcastic serum for me?" She asked.

"Pretty sure you don't need a serum." He responded. Darcy playfully hit him in the shoulder for the comment.

"Jesus! You're like a freakin rock!" She said. "You should come with a warning label."

"I'm one of a kind. An old model." Steve said, shaking his head.

"Hey, maybe you'll stay alive long enough for time travel to be invented." Darcy said giving a weak smile. "I'm pretty sure Tony's working on it."

He shrugged. "It'd almost be worse if I went back. So many things were left incomplete. Punching Hitler in the face _would_ be nice though. I mean, the real one."

"Well, you seem to have a nice family going on here. They'd probably all be dead right now without you, Cap." She said with a smile.

"You seem to be the only one who would think so." He said.

"Oh come _on_. I've got to be the most pessimistic person here. The whole freaking world sees you as a hero, yet you barely see yourself as a human." She said, throwing her hands up.

He laughed at her exasperation. "Alright Darcy." He said, smiling to himself. "I can tell right about now you're craving ice cream." He got up from the couch and began to zip his sweatshirt up, walking out to the elevator.

"God, please." Darcy groaned, getting up and grabbing her jacket to follow Steve.

* * *

**A/N: **So yeah, I almost went to bed and didn't post this, but I _did_ promise a chapter! So here you go. I'm having a little marathon of the Avengers this weekend(I don't have a life)so I will probably include little tidbits of the rest of the gang. This is mainly Darcy's first impressions of the gang as a whole. Things will start to slow down now because I don't have stuff already written. I'm almost done with 6 and will probably complete that tomorrow, post it, and then begin chapter 7. Thank you for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! Reviews will encourage me to write more. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

"So this new villain, what's her deal?" Darcy asked curiously while walking back to her apartment with Steve.

Steve looked at her, concerned and serious. "You're not supposed to know about that. Or SHIELD, for that matter."

"Oh please," Darcy laughed. "I was under their custody for three weeks. What's this villain's name again? Moonshine? Moonrock?"

"Moon_stone_." Steve corrected. His face got even more concerned. "Why were you under their custody?"

"You didn't know?" She asked, pulling her jacket tighter in the chilly breeze. Steve shook his head. "Oh. Well I was friends with Thor when he first came to Earth. Witnessed some _crazy _shit. But then I was only taken in for questioning. When Loki kidnapped Dr. Selvig and tried to take over the world, SHIELD took me and Jane into hiding. In case the crazy bastard came for us. I also tased Thor once, so I got in a bit of trouble for that." She said, laughing as she remembered

"I'm sorry that all happened to you." He said, stopping and putting a hand on her shoulder. Darcy felt her heart race a bit, but quickly shrugged it off.

"It's fine." She said, brushing his hand off and continuing to walk. Steve frowned at that, and went to catch up with her.

"You didn't sign up for that though. You were just looking for college credits." He said.

"Yeah, but I found something much better. A _purpose_. A new _friend._ Maybe even a family. I would have just sat in New Mexico and fucking rotted, y'know?" She said, shrugging.

"I guess. But you'd be safe." He said, looking down at the ground.

"Safe and sorry I'd missed the incredible opportunity. Like what if you hadn't chose to take the serum? Aren't you glad for the life you have now?" She asked.

"I am. But sometimes I think about what it would've been like to _stay_ the skinny kid from Brooklyn. Get married, have kids, have a normal job." Steve said, looking as solemn as ever. She looked up at him.

"Who says you can't have that life too? Fuck what SHIELD says, you're an asset to _them_. You could do whatever you wanted." Darcy said.

"I'm about 70 years old. I think my time has passed." He said with a smirk about how Darcy got so riled up about the authority of SHIELD. It was amusing to see her so frustrated and angry.

"Suit yourself." She said, shrugging. "I'm just saying, you _could_ have that life if you wanted to."

"Are _you_ going to have that life?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "For some reason I can't see you as a soccer mom."

Darcy let out a dry laugh. "Ha! Hell no. Nope. No. No kids. Nope. There is _good_ reason why you can't see me as a soccer mom." She said, shaking her head at the thought.

"Oh come on. Tons of people think that until they get older. I can just see it- you're going to be a great mom." He said, trying hard not to laugh. They turned the corner and came round to Darcy's apartment.

"You can come in, if you want. My roommates probably not in. God, she's _awful._" Darcy groaned. Her roommate had a tendency to take her stuff, make the place look like a tornado hit it, eat all the food, _and_ bring filthy one night stands home. Just about everything one person could do to piss Darcy off. Steve followed her into the small place which really did look like someone came in and tossed everything around.

"It's nice." He said, trying to be polite.

Darcy laughed. "Oh please. Don't even _attempt_ to lie." She said while trying to move some stuff around. "I swear, this is _all_ my roommate. I am not this much of a pig."

"It's... charming. Quaint. I can't say my old apartment was much better." He said, smiling at the remembrance of his old tiny apartment in Brooklyn that he had before he moved to the Tower.

"You lived here for over a year, and didn't make a single friend outside of SHIELD?" She asked, kind of stunned. He wasn't the best at approaching people, yes, but there would be many girls happy to approach him by his looks alone.

Steve shrugged. "I mostly just worked out and tried to learn what went on while I was gone."

"Wow. Awfully lonely, huh?" She said. She felt sympathetic towards Steve. Now she understood what he meant when he said it'd be worse to go back. All of a sudden they heard someone fumbling with the door, a couple of quiet giggles, and in burst her roommate with some sleazy guy all over her. Darcy rolled her eyes.

"Oh. Darcy. I thought you were working late tonight." She said, trying to hint she wanted Darcy out. _No way am I leaving just for some stupid hook-up_ Darcy thought.

"Nope," Darcy smiled. "We decided to come back here and watch a movie. You two could _join _if you'd like. Plenty of room on the couch." The sleazy guy grunted and turned to walk out, with her roommate trailing behind, cursing under her breath, letting the door slam behind her. Darcy knew she'd pay for that one later. But she wasn't in the mood to have to hear them humping all night. Steve had watched the encounter go down, stunned at how unladylike girls were today. He was pretty sure those two didn't even know each other for twenty-four hours, but they were already going to have sex.

"Seems like a nice girl..." He commented, raising his eyebrows. "So are we actually going to watch a film?"

Darcy let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, she's a real sweetheart. We can if you want. I mean, you have 70 years of pop culture to catch up on to get anything."

"Right. Where do I even start?" Steve asked. He hadn't bothered to even get basic cable for his old TV, and spent no time watching anything other than news on his TV in his bedroom at the tower.

"We can start with some classics." Darcy shrugged, and got up to pop in a dvd. Then sitting next to Steve comfortably.

The movie was boring, and within an hour Darcy had fallen asleep, slightly leaning on Steve's shoulder. He liked the presence of her, touching him ever so slightly, even though she wasn't aware of it. She felt warm and completely relaxed. As the credits started to roll, Steve turned the TV off. He gently touched Darcy at an attempt to wake her up to no prevail. He had to stifle a laugh at how heavy a sleeper she was. She only pushed herself further into him. Slowly, he began to lift her up into his arms; which felt like lifting a feather to him. Carefully, he walked towards the back rooms. He entered one that had clothes all over the ground and leftover food sitting on the bedside, which made him decide it couldn't be Darcy's. The next one he entered was clean and orderly, just like Darcy would keep it. He gently laid her down on her bed, and closed the door. He scribbled onto a notepad and tore it off, leaving it on the fridge, before letting himself out.

* * *

Sorry I haven't gotten around to posting over the weekend. Crazy stuff happened. Everything's okay now and I have a few more chapters written. This is fluffy stuff bleh I know but I wanted to show how they had grown close and comfortable around each other. Awkwardness will resume soon though, don't worry. Please favorite, follow, review, etc.! Reviews encourage me to write more. :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own these lovely Marvel characters.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

Darcy groaned loudly as her alarm clock went off at 6:00 am. She turned it off and went to get up. She realized she was still in her jeans. _Shit, I must've fallen asleep... but how'd I get to my room?_ She thought, but brushed it off and stripped to get into the shower. The warm water instantly jolted her awake and she let out a long sigh because it felt so good. After she got dressed and brushed her teeth, Darcy went to the kitchen and started to make herself a cup of coffee, but as she went in the fridge, she saw a note on it.

_You politely refused to wake up and go to bed. See you tomorrow. - S_

She blinked at the note, confused. Steve _carried_ her to bed? _Wow, please Darcy, think of a better way to embarass yourself_ she thought. She cursed herself for being such a heavy sleeper. Of course she had to make a perfectly good friendship awkward. Of course.

When she walked into the lab that morning, she was greeted by Jane enthusiatically. "We've done it Darcy! Oh my god, we're about to prove how Thor travels _scientifically_!" Jane exclaims, throwing her arms around her best friend.

"Whoa there buddy, I've only got one cup of coffee in me. When did you figure this out?" Darcy asked, setting down her things and taking her laptop out.

"At about 3 a.m. last night, since he left I was thinking about Thor and how he travels and it just dawned on me. The bridge, the portals, _everything_. It just made _sense._ Now I just have to find a way to prove it and put it on paper." Jane said with a sigh. Anyone outside of SHIELD would think she was batshit crazy without a doubt. Traveling to other _realms_ was unheard of.

Darcy laughed. "So that's what you guys talk about after you have sex." Jane frowned at her.

"I couldn't sleep! There was so much to be done! So now, I am going to take a nap and wait for my _god_ to return. You should go help Bruce or Tony. Sounded like something blew up in there this morning." Jane said with a smirk before walking off. _Oh, lovely_ Darcy thought.

When she arrived in Tony and Bruce's lab she had to duck immediately as something flew at her. "Jesus! Are you trying to freaking kill me?!" she yelled while looking behind her at the shattered glass.

"That," Tony started. "Is why you knock before entering our lab." Darcy rolled her eyes.

"I am coming in peace, to help you with something other than astrophysics. Jane thinks she has reached a conclusion point in her research and has given me some time off." Darcy said, raising her eyebrows. "So what can I do?"

"You can start by cleaning that up, Ms. Lewis." Tony remarked. Darcy threw her pen at him but he dodged it at the last second.

"So touchy." he commented.

"He's kidding. JARVIS, get someone to clean that up please." Bruce said. "You can help me by writing down information on the Kree stone as I read it to you."

Darcy sat down next to him and nodded, putting her laptop down and opening a new blank document. She nodded to Bruce to tell him to begin.

"Stone possesses unusual powers to beholder. Only select few can achieve that power and harness it. Dr. Karla Sofen must possess some sort of quality that gives her the ability to control the power of the stone. Note: maybe her knowledge of the mind helped her figure out what quality she needed to have in order to use the stone. On November 21st-" he continued but was cut off by Tony.

"Uh, Dr. Banner, you may want to stop for a second and check this out." Tony said, looking at one of his many screens and making it larger with his hands. Bruce and Darcy got up to look. On the screen was surveillance of a woman and multiple men storming a science facility. When they looked closer, they could see it was a SHIELD building.

"We should probably stop watching and take some action, Stark." Bruce said, dragging the screen off and walking out briskly.

"Uh, Tony. Suit, buddy?" Darcy said waving her hand in front of Tony's oblivious face. He came out of his trance and shook his head.

"God damnit, stupid American bastard was right." He said and stormed out of the room, leaving Darcy alone.

"Ms. Lewis, may I suggest you go inform other members of the team?" JARVIS said.

"Yeah, yeah right away." She said, pushing her hair out of her face and walking out.

Darcy knew to check the gym first for Steve. She found him in the little boxing ring sparring with Tony's driver; Happy. With one swift punch to the side, Steve sent him to the ground. He knelt down beside him and smiled. "Good try." He whispered to Happy. He was distracted when he heard someone clear their throat. "Oh, hey. What are you doing in here?" he asked Darcy with a smile; he was glad to see her.

She looked him up and down, taking notice of how Steve was barely sweating but their was a slight sheen on his shoulders that were exposed because of his fitted tank top. She shook herself from her thoughts, remembering Steve was right there and could see her staring. "Um. Hi. Emergency. Kind of. Moonstone's attacking a SHIELD facility. Suit up." Darcy said, throwing him his suit and mask. "I couldn't exactly manage to carry your boots and shield, you'll have to uh do that yourself." Then she walked off.

_What was that about?_ Steve thought to himself at Darcy's distant actions. She was so serious and professional, which was not like her at all. He looked down at the suit he held in his hands in thought of why she could be acting this way, when he remembered the emergency and ran to suit up.

Darcy continued to Thor's room and knocked before entering the empty room. _Stupid, he's been in Asgard _she thought to herself, shaking her head. She walked into the common area and found Clint reading. He looked up at her once she walked in. "Hey. Emergency. Moonstone. SHIELD facility. You know the drill. Can you tell Natasha? I'm going to find Jane and make sure she knows whats going on." Darcy asked, not wanting to deal with the harsh icy tone of Agent Romanoff. Clint nodded with a mischievous grin and sped off.

* * *

**A/N:** Hello all. :) Thank you so much for your continued support. It means a lot. Reviews are appreciated very much! Constructive criticism welcome. This chapter is leading up to some intense stuff. It was originally really really long but my story does better when I post new chapters often so I'm trying to split things. Next chapter will be one of my longest to date! Hope you enjoy. Also, I'm considering starting another story. I'm so ADD I can't even just write one story. Leave any suggestions in reviews or pm me! Avengers related or not! I'm open to anything. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

Darcy knew exactly where to find Jane when Thor was in Asgard. She took the elevator up to the roof and while in there JARVIS spoke to her. "Miss Lewis, they are leaving now. Would you like to say goodbye?"

Darcy shook her head. "No, they'll be back soon enough."

"Very well, miss." JARVIS said.

Once she got up to the roof she could see Jane wrapped in Thor's cape looking up at the sky. Every single time he left she felt worried he'd never return. "Hey. Avengers got called on a mission. We have the tower to ourselves." Darcy said, nudging her friend gently.

"I think I'll stay up here a little bit longer." Jane said, wrapping herself tighter in Thor's cape.

"Come on. Let's have some fun. You, me, and Pepper. Without all the crazies." Darcy said with a smile. Jane started to refuse but Darcy pulled her along back in anyways.

"Pepper! We need to do something fun! Jane's _moping_!" Darcy shouted as she walked into the kitchen.

"God, there is never a dull moment in this building." Pepper said with a sigh. Her heels clicked as she walked into the kitchen to find Darcy dragging Jane in. Her nerves were always on end when Tony went on a mission, especially when they were getting married in two months. Maybe giving herself a break from hard work would help her nerves go to rest.

"Jane won't even let go of Thor's cape. _Pathetic_. Who needs a guy to have fun? I sure don't!" Darcy said with a scoff. Perhaps it was her crude humor or sarcasm, but no men took much interest in Darcy. She didn't entirely mind because she was independent and held her own.

Pepper smirked. "I'm ordering out from a five star restaurant and charging it to Stark Industries, we're opening a bottle of wine and watching Bridesmaids." She said triumphantly, taking out her blackberry to call in an order.

After a few glasses of wine, Jane was back to her usual self, determined and ambitious as ever. Pepper had finally loosened up and Darcy was serenely happy. With lots of good food and a sensible movie the girls were content. Jane and Darcy laughed at the movie but quite honestly it made Pepper anxious about her own wedding and bridesmaids. "You guys... You'll be my bridesmaids, right?" she asked, about to have a panic attack at how soon she would be marrying Tony in a mere amount of _days_.

"Aw, Pepper of course." Jane said with a smile. "I can be your maid of honor, since we know Darcy won't be much help."

"Hey! I will make a great bridesmaid, you'll see. I'll be the one who adopts nine puppies." Darcy said, trying not to smile.

Pepper let out a laugh and tried not to think of all the things that might possibly go wrong on her big day. "Oh god, I'm still stressing out." She said while putting a hand to her face. "I have an idea. Let's go to the roof." Darcy and Jane looked at each other for a moment but obliged.

When they got to the roof Pepper went to a corner and revealed a covered jacuzzi, just begging to be used. "Tony wanted it to be a secret. But I think we deserve it." She said, stripping down to her underwear and slowly getting in. The other two followed her and after what seemed like an hour, their talking was interrupted by Tony walking up to them.

"Hello ladies, I see you found my secret spot." he said dryly, glaring at Pepper. They all had to hold in laughter.

"Uh, we were just getting out," Darcy said before stepping out and grabbing a towel. It was freezing in the winter air but she soon got inside followed by the others.

"There's good news and bad," Tony began. The girls looked at him seriously. "Good news is, we found out good old Capsicle is bomb-proof. Bad news is, he's pretty banged up and needs a little TLC. Darcy, Jane, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like my wife-to-be with _me_ tonight."

Jane and Darcy rolled their eyes as Tony whisked away Pepper towards their room. "You go to bed. You've had a long day. I'll take care of it."

Darcy took the elevator down to Steve's floor and knocked before entering his room. Bruce was sitting on a chair by the window and writing something down on what appeared to be a chart. "Hey, how is he?" she asked quietly, sitting down on the bed looking at Steve who was sleeping.

"He's gonna live," Bruce said with a smile. "Broke multiple bones, but before we got back and I could x-ray him, they had healed. Just his open wounds need to be looked after."

"Well, that's what I'm here for. You should get some rest. It's been a long day." Darcy said. She didn't dare ask how the mission went, because if one of them was injured that meant not well.

"Thanks. The dressings for his wounds need to be changed hourly. He has a whole bunch of books if you get bored, and there's the untouched TV. Let me know if you need anything. Sleep should let him heal up nice and well." Bruce said before taking his things and walking out.

Seeing Steve vulnerable like this was brand new for her. Darcy always felt safe with him around; he was a god damn super soldier. But seeing him with gaping wounds and unconscious made her solemn. She went to his bookshelf and grabbed a book before stretching out next to him and starting to read. Soon enough it was time for her to clean his injuries. She slowly peeled the bandage off and was thankful she had a strong stomach because it looked pretty bad. She took a cotton ball with alcohol on it to clean it out and felt Steve's body tense with pain but slowly stop. She checked to make sure he was still sleeping. After smearing medicine on it, she covered it in a fresh dressing and moved on to the next few. A few hours went by, and with each cleaning Darcy could see the injuries healing.

She was reading when Steve stirred, making her look up from the book. He blinked a few times making sure he was seeing right. Darcy was in his _bed_? "How are you feeling?" she asked, putting the back of her hand to his forehead to make sure he didn't have a fever.

"What happened? What are you doing here? Why are you in my bed?" he mumbled out, sitting up slowly and rubbing his face. Darcy all of a sudden felt embarrassed, remembering how un-ladylike it was to be in his bed to Steve.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot about the whole chivalrous gentleman thing. Uh, apparently you're bomb-proof. Miraculously, you've almost healed completely. Here, let me check your cuts." She said, instructing him to turn over. She slowly peeled off the bandages and to her surprise, there was nothing there but a faint scar. "Wow,"

He looked down to see barely anything except a few scratches. "Doesn't seem too bad to me." Steve said with a smile.

"Yeah, I just wanted an excuse to be in your bed." Darcy said, rolling her eyes and telling him to turn again. She began to open the worst wound's bandage that was on his chest. She was shocked to find no signs of hurt there, and without thinking brushed her hand over it. "Amazing," she said. Steve's body tensed at her touch, before softening. He felt himself leaning forward, so close to Darcy that if he moved anymore his lips would be on hers. She started to move forward when JARVIS spoke.

"Mr. Rogers and Ms. Lewis, a SHIELD meeting is being held in ten minutes. Mr. Rogers, will you be attending?" the AI said. Steve slowly moved away from Darcy, looking disappointed that they had been so abruptly interrupted. She tried to smile weakly.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, JARVIS, I'll head up soon." Steve said before getting up and finding a shirt to pull on. Darcy watched as he looked as if he was trying to think of something to say.

"Yeah, I'll go. Uh, see you around. Be safe." Darcy mumbled before swiftly making her exit, leaving Steve there running a hand through his hair and sighing.

* * *

**A/N:** Woohoo! Chapter 8. I personally love this chapter. You're gonna hate me so soon. But like I've said, their love is going to slowly develop. They're still unsure of each other and what they feel. So yeah this is like my longest chapter yet but uh. Hope you like it! Sorry to tease you with the almost-kiss. :) Please leave reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:**

Steve was beyond tired after a full day in the gym. It had been weeks since Moonstone showed up and it was driving his anxiety crazy. What was her next plan? He wanted to know and be ready to prevent it. Darcy had been avoiding him, holing up in the lab with Jane, claiming she was super busy and leaving the second she was done. Ever since they almost kissed he barely saw her at all. There was most definitely an awkwardness between the two but it seemed she had no intention of fixing it.

One night when Darcy was packing up her things to go and Jane was long gone, she heard someone walk in the lab. She turned to see Steve in his tight-fitting shirt that practically forced her to look at his muscles. "Uh, hi. What's up?" she tried to ask coolly making it seem as if nothing was wrong between them.

"Nothing really," Steve said with a frown. "I haven't seen much of you lately."

"Yeah, Jane's working me like crazy with research. We're almost onto something though, which is good." Darcy said and tried to force a normal smile with the lie.

"That's great," he said while nodding.

"Yeah. She's _actually _being taken to Asgard with Thor tomorrow. She finally convinced him. Or made it worth his while." Darcy said with a shrug.

"So you're off tomorrow?" Steve asked.

"I have to come in and make sure things are running smoothly but after that, yeah." she answered.

"Let's go out for lunch. Pizza?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Darcy smiled, trying to hide her discomfort. "Yeah. Alright. I gotta run though, see you then." she said before leaving. As she was walking home in the dark she heard a few noises behind her. She turned to find nothing and shrugged it off. Once she started walking again she was grabbed by two men and as she tried to scream a hand clamped over her mouth. Before she could do anything to defend herself, a tall woman with shining eyes stepped before Darcy and as she placed a hand on her head, Darcy blacked out.

The next morning when Darcy didn't come in, Steve began to worry that she was doing this to avoid him. He paced back and forth in his room anxiously awaiting her arrival.

"Sir, would you like me to try Ms. Lewis' apartment telephone?" JARVIS asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Steve said, picking up the phone from his bedside table. It rang a few times before being answered groggily. "Darcy?" Steve asked.

"No. Alex. Roommate. What do you want?" she groaned.

"Is Darcy there?" he asked, trying to remain patient.

"No. She didn't come home at all last night. Figured she got laid finally." Alex said with a snort.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, suddenly losing his sense of calm.

"Yepp." she answered. Steve hung up quickly. Where could she go? What if she was in trouble? He checked his watch and cursed under his breath finding that Thor and Jane had already left for Asgard. He ran up the stairs to the kitchen where he found Tony and Bruce arguing over some invention and having coffee.

"Capsicle, please tell Bruce here how I am _always_ right, and his calculations must be incorrect." Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"Darcy's missing." Steve said, ignoring Tony. "We need to find her."

"Relax, I'm sure your little girlfriend is fine. Call SHIELD, they probably have her." Tony said, getting up to pour himself more coffee.

"No. Something's wrong. I just know it." Steve said angrily. "I'm going to find her." He began to walk out when Bruce called out.

"Wait for me!" he said, shrugging his lab coat off and following Steve.

They arrived in Director Fury's office an hour later. "Gentlemen, I think I know why you're here." he said, getting up from his desk. "Darcy Lewis has been taken, I am aware. We think we have some answers." Bruce and Steve followed him into a small interrogation room where a man with a black eye and several cuts on his face was sitting, handcuffed to a chair.

"This is one of Moonstone's handy men. He so kindly told us that Jane Foster would be taken and we would all be lost. Problem is, they took the wrong damsel." Fury said, eyeing the dirty man.

"Where did they take her?" Steve asked, trying to remain calm.

"That, he refuses to answer." the Director said. Steve walked up to the man and took him by the collar.

"I will never tell. You will never be able to stop her." the man said with an ugly grin. Before he could stop himself Steve hit him hard in the face. He began bleeding yet still had the stupid smirk on his face. "You will not get it out of me." he said before biting down on something. Before they could realize what he'd done, the man had fallen limp and there was foam coming from his mouth. When Steve checked for a pulse, there was none.

* * *

**A/N:** dun dun dun! Updates won't be as often now. I'm deathly sick so yeah. And there's a few more weeks until break, yay! Reviews please! Any suggestions for what should happen next? Oh! And give me ideas for another fic! Avengers-related or not!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

Slowly Darcy started to become conscious in the dimly lit room. Once she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but a measly little henchman guarding her while reading on his kindle. Asshole she thought. Where was she? Who had taken her? What did they want? Darcy wiggled but realized she was tied to a chair tightly. She tried to calm herself. She worked with the most dangerous group of people on the planet. She would be found. In fact, they were probably already looking for her. But what did these people want with her? What was their angle?

"Hey! You! Yeah, you! Stop reading The fucking Notebook and come here." she said, flailing her limbs trying to get the guys attention. He grunted and got up to walk towards her.

"Sure sweetie. What do you want, some water? Too bad." he snarled.

"Why am I here? What do you want with me?" Darcy growled.

"You're the scientist, Foster. Figure it out." he said with a scoff before walking back to his chair and resuming his reading.

Shit she thought. They somehow got the impression that Darcy was Jane. Darcy had nothing to offer them; once they find out she's not Jane, they'll kill her without a second thought. All she could do was wait until they figured out who she was. Darcy hated that; feeling powerless. She wasn't even smart like Jane. She tried to fiddle with her hand binds to no prevail. She was caught alright.

* * *

Steve couldn't sleep. He couldn't rest. He couldn't even eat well knowing that Darcy was in danger somewhere. S.H.I.E.L.D. was looking for her everywhere at every second, but Steve knew that wouldn't be good enough. Yet there was nothing he could do. Moonstone could be hidden anywhere in the world and it could take them weeks to find out. Darcy could be badly hurt by then, or worse... Steve couldn't manage to think that, slowly shaking his head and getting out of bed to go to the kitchen.

"Morning, moody. Rough night?" Tony asked, sitting and eating while reading the paper. Steve nodded his head. "Wow. You must really like the kid. I mean, she's a good kid. Reminds me a bit of myself." he said with an eyebrow raise and slight smirk.

"She's not a kid. She's in danger and we're sitting on our asses staring at walls. We need to find a way to locate her." Steve said in a low voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I feel you. Look, let's go bust into SHIELD and hold Fury at gunpoint until he finds her." Tony said sarcastically.

"It's not a joke. Her life is on the line here." Steve said sternly. "She's innocent."

"She knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to work for Jane here. Besides, I think Darcy can handle herself." Tony said giving Steve a look.

"We can barely handle Moonstone. What makes you think she can?" Steve asked, growing angry.

"I don't know. But I have a little faith in her." Tony shrugged. "We'll find her."

"Sir, commander Fury is on the line." JARVIS said. Tony gave Steve a look.

"Answer." he said. "Yes, hi Fury. I hope you have good news. Our Capsicle hasn't had a great night." Steve frowned at him.

"We have got a relative location on Lewis. She's somewhere in southern Sweden. The quinjet will be at the tower to pick you guys up shortly. Wake the others. Avengers assemble." Fury said, before hanging up.

"Well, there you go Cap. Let's go rescue your little friend." Tony said, getting up from the table and walking away.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh my god I'm soooo sorry this has taken so long. I got caught up in the holidays and my laptop completely died. :| Updates will slow down but please stay with me! This chapter is super short and sucks but I'll give you another today too. :) Reviews please!


	11. Chapter 11

The next time Darcy woke up, she had moved rooms into one significantly smaller. She looked around for any signs of where she could be, but there were no windows, no sounds, and no clues to be found. It was a good thing Darcy had the ability to stay calm in situations like this, whereas someone like Jane would be putting up quite a fight. Darcy knew she couldn't get out with whoever that woman was in power. Somehow, her touch had the ability to knock Darcy out cold. Wait a minute, she thought. Moonstone possessed powers somewhat like this. She had thought she recognized the uniforms of the henchmen assigned to guard her. Darcy was shaken from her thoughts when there was a loud rapping on the door.

"Boss wants to speak with you." a muffled voice said before unlocking the door and opening it. A tall, dark haired woman walked in. She had a smirk on her face and stared right at Darcy.

"Hello, Ms. Lewis. What a pleasure to finally greet you." Moonstone said with an icy tone. "Although it was not my intention to take you. You see, I need help from your little friend to get to another realm."

Darcy scoffed. "She couldn't help you even if she wanted to. We're nowhere near ready for that. Come back in ten years."

"Ah, you see. But my source of... power, might you call it, will bridge the gaps in your research." Moonstone said, raising her eyebrow at Darcy. "And I am well aware the Avengers will stand in my way. So you have helped perfectly with that. You see, I've been watching all of you."

"Is that so?" Darcy said, sneering at her.

Moonstone ignored her. "I can use you very well in my plans. Captain America's affectionate feelings towards you, Hulk's anger, Tony's responsibility. Maybe the two little spies will feel for you also. All of these thoughts and emotions are what I will play to defeat them and carry on with my travels."

"Good plan. You forgot there's six of them and one of you though." Darcy said. For that she recieved a blow to the head with an unloaded gun. _Bitch_ she thought to herself, feeling blood beginning to seep out of her head.

"Foolish girl, I am more powerful than them all. They all possess weaknesses, and that is what will be their downfall." Moonstone said, bringing her hand to Darcy's face. When it made contact, everything slowly began to fade before it went pitch black.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a small village in southern Sweden, the Avengers raided an empty warehouse, only to find there was nothing there for them. Steve's stomach sank, feeling their case was hopeless. Locating villains was extremely frustrating for everyone. Director Fury's voice spoke through his earpiece.

"Ok, team. Let's call it a night. We have several locations to try tomorrow." he said before clicking off. Tony took his mask off and looked just as solemn as Steve for a second. He felt some sort of responsibility over Darcy, as if he should have had her protected by living in the tower. She was practically the only one who went in besides the ones who lived there.

"Alright guys, let's bring it in. There's always tomorrow. We'll probably find her under a rock then." Tony said, walking out of the empty warehouse.

Steve stood in the empty place for a minute, taking off his mask and looking at it in his hands. He didn't feel like much of a hero lately. What was even worse, was that if Darcy died he would have left things unspoken and unfinished yet again. That seemed to be the pattern with everyone he cared about.

Once he got back to his small quarters of the helicarrier Steve sank back into his bed, running a hand through his hair. He could barely sleep some nights, and when he did; bad dreams plagued his mind. Dreams of his life before he got into the army, dreams of Bucky whom he let die, and dreams of Peggy who he made an empty promise to. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he could not live in the present. And maybe he never would.

* * *

**A/N:** Here you are! Chapter Eleven, as promised. Hope everyone had a good holiday season and enjoyed! Reviews please! Also, give me ideas for a new story! Avengers-related or not!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve:**

Running on only two hours of quiet sleep, Steve began to feel tired for the first time since he had woken up. They had decided to split up the locations, in order to find Darcy faster. Steve was currently walking the empty halls of an old abandoned hospital. Trees came creeping through the windows with the little light they provided. He took off his mask and stuffed it in his pocket, feeling the stuffy air in the place. When suddenly, he took another step and fell through the old wooden floor.

* * *

The gruel they fed Darcy was disgusting which gave her some troubles in keeping it down. After gagging and feeling as if she would throw up in the bathroom, when she walked out she found Moonstone inspecting her prison cell of a room.

"Thought you might want to know your little boyfriend is here." Moonstone said, throwing her a tablet with surveillance footage of Steve roaming the halls, without looking at her. "Interesting choice to come alone. Not what I had in mind, but I can work with it." With that, she walked off letting the door slam behind her. Darcy only stood there, her heart aching while watching the repeated video reel of Steve. She felt a pang in her cheat watching him wander the building.

After what seemed like hours of pacing back and forth, Darcy almost screamed when she heard someone breaking down her door. But when she saw that red, white, and blue suit, she held it in. It seemed like it had been years since she saw his face, but he looked exhausted and weary. He looked up at her and smiled his winning grin. Before she could say anything he had rushed to her, closing the space between them and crushed his lips on hers. Reluctantly, she pulled away. This was not the time or the place.

"How'd you get here? Moonstone, she's lo-" Darcy started but was cut off by Steve.

"I know. We need to get out of here now." he said, hushing her, grabbing her wrist and pulling Darcy along out through the underground facility. They took a quick sharp turn into a dark room where they found Moonstone, sitting there, as if she was waiting for them.

"Hello dear," she said to Darcy, a wicked grin on her face. Before Darcy could do anything, Steve had a deathly grip on both her arms and pinned her against him. She saw all the humanity in his eyes leave as he picked her up by the neck, slowly choking her to death.

"You see, you are going to die by the hand of the man you loved." Moonstone said. "Once I let him have his mind back, he won't dare fight me, knowing what he's done to you. He will never forgive himself for what he's about to do. It's a shame; you two really care about each other."

As Darcy began to start to feel her life slipping away, she heard a familiar high-pitched noise muffled by the walls. Before they could do anything, Tony had blasted in, hitting Steve, sending him flying across the room to hit a hard shelf and getting knocked unconscious. Once Darcy caught her breath, she ran to him and tried to pick up a disoriented Captain.

"Now would be the time to uh, leave." Tony shouted, while deflecting Moonstone's laser attacks at him.

Darcy nodded and slipped Steve's arm around her while attempting to move as quickly as possible. Why do you have to be so heavy? she thought, grunting trying to support only some of his weight. She got them outside of the building and found the quinjet. She got herself and Steve inside, when he started to finally come around enough to open his eyes and speak.

"D-darcy," he started, looking around at the familiar surroundings. "You're alive."

She let out a dry laugh. "Uh, yeah. But I won't be for long if we all don't get out of here now." she said.

Steve nodded and spoke into his earpiece. "Tony, get back to the quinjet, now!"

"You guys go ahead, I'll be on your tail." he responded.

Darcy climbed into the cockpit and started to turn everything on. Just as Natasha and Clint came running out of the building and hopped into the jet.

"You know how to fly one of these things?" Steve asked, concerned.

"Coulson taught me a thing or two." she said with a smirk, before closing the back up and slowly lifting it off the ground. Shortly, they were followed by Tony.

When they arrived back at the tower, the first thing Darcy did was eat. She was starving, and food had never looked so good. After she was done, she had fallen asleep on the couch after telling the others about what had happened.

"She should stay here." Tony stated. They all nodded.

"I'll let her stay in my room for tonight." Steve said.

"Whoa, Captain. That's not very chivalrous of you." Tony said with a raised eyebrow. "You did almost kill her too, y'know."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I will sleep out here." He didn't like to think about the fact that he almost killed her. He remembered nothing but feeling trapped inside his body with no control.

"Whatever you say." Tony said. Steve picked Darcy up and carried her down to his bedroom. She woke up just enough to wrap her arms around his neck, which drove him crazy. How could she still be so comfortable he thought. Gently, he laid her down on his bed and was about to walk away before she spoke.

"Stay. Please." she whispered, looking up at him with her dark shiny eyes.

"You need rest. So do I." he said, walking back and sitting upright next to her on the bed. Darcy wrapped herself within him and let her body be overcome with warmth from his presence. He awkwardly let himself snake an arm around her waist, holding her ever so lightly. "I-I'm sorry." he whispered. He couldn't look at her without being reminded of what he almost did.

"It's not your fault. I know it wasn't you." Darcy said, looking up at him.

"I almost killed you with my bare hands." he said, looking away from her.

"It wasn't you." she repeated sternly before turning his face towards her again, and leaning up to gently brush her lips against his, kissing him softly. Every part of him felt on edge, his senses overwhelmed just by the mere touch of Darcy. His grip around her tightened, and he pulled her closer while deepening their kiss.

He stopped, leaning his forehead against hers, and he spoke barely above a whisper. "I can't lose you." Steve said, staring into her twinkling eyes.

"You're not going to." Darcy said with a small smile before leaning in to kiss him ever so lightly.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, this chapter totally goes out to HedwigGirl. Your review made my day! I totally have never been so flattered about my writing. Sorry this chapter is so delayed. I got super un-motivated to write so I didn't want to post that much. I was honestly going to just end this story in two more chapters. But thanks to your review I have gotten inspired to write a bit more! Thanks for all the kind words, hope you all enjoy!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Thanks for all the great response to last chapter everyone.

**gottoluvme11:** Thanks! I plan on it!

**ohvafltn:** Here it is! Hope you enjoy :)

**blackicewolf: **Yeah, it is really difficult sometimes. Especially since I couldn't even read just one book when I was little! I never finished any of them my parents got sooo worried. Thanks for the support.

**Spirit Speaker:** I think authors tend to make her a bit too brash and over-confident. I feel like she's one of the Marvel characters that has more realism to her because she isn't some Mary Sue and isn't always so sure of herself. Yes, she is some comic relief, but I think she is far from perfect and knows it. As for Steve, I'm pretty much winging it. I try my hardest while writing to picture them actually saying and doing things, seeing if it feels right. Thanks for the review!

**HedwigGirl:** I remember reading a comic about Moonstone when I was younger at my uncle's apartment! So when I was flipping through my Avengers character encyclopedia trying to find an antagonist for my story it just seemed right. :) I added a lot to her, because I wanted her to stand more of a chance against the Avengers on her own. And to dramatize things, obviously. I feel like when Tony gets into these situations he can really become detached and his wit leaves him, only his quirkiness remaining, as you'll see some more in this chapter. And yes, I'm going to be getting more into what Bruce is doing in later chapters. It's good that you caught onto that... ;) Also, Clintasha in next chapter! Not much, since this is a Darcy/Steve story, but I love Blackhawk and wanted to just throw in a little excerpt between them for fun. Steve is very conflicted as he hasn't felt this way about anyone in a looong time and Darcy is second-guessing her self-worth because he seems so distant. It will be hard, but they will not label whatever they have for a while. The type of authors you're talking about is actually EXACTLY why I started writing this fic. So many people made them out of character and made it all about the romance. I was like "I could write a better story than this..." so I did.

**Padfootkicksbutt:** Uhhhh, 1: your username is awesome. I'm more of a Lupin fan though. Thanks for the review!

_If anyone has any requests for another story, please pm me or write it in a review!_

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:**

When Steve awoke to find Darcy in his bed he was shocked before remembering the events of the day before. She looked extremely peaceful in his t-shirt, tangled in his bed sheets. Her steady breathing was barely audible and her face was shielded from the sun pouring through the windows by her hair. He suddenly felt embarrassed to be studying her in bed like that, thinking of how inappropriate it was to sleep in the same bed as her. He decided he should leave the room before she woke up.

In the kitchen Steve was greeted by the usual Tony, drinking his coffee and tapping away at his computer screens while having a conversation with JARVIS about new modifications on the suit. Steve sat accross from him and stared for a while.

"What can I do for you? Have a good night with Darcy?" he asked, without taking his eyes off the screens.

"I fell asleep there. It was my fault. I was going to leave." Steve murmured.

"Uh huh, sure you were." Tony said, still not paying attention. "You are old enough to be her great-grandfather, but sure, why not have your fun with her? Not like any supervillains would take her and manipulate your feelings for her."

Steve frowned. He remembered again. His hand closing around Darcy's throat, being inside his body and watching as someone else controlled it. Seeing the life drain from Darcy's face before Tony swooped in. "T-thanks. For knocking me out."

Tony looked up and stared at him. "Glad to do it any time." he said with an eyebrow raise.

"I know there are risks and I'm not going to force her to do anything. But you have Pepper. Why couldn't I care for someone also?" Steve asked.

"That is different. She's from the past. Y'know, before I got kidnapped by terrorists. I've now dedicated 100% of my time to being with her and protecting her. It's no way to toy around with a relationship." Tony said firmly.

"So you're saying I can't even try?" Steve asked, growing more frustrated.

"I'm saying you shouldn't. We've already seen how easy it is to manipulate your feelings." Tony said with a stern voice before going back to his work and blocking Steve out.

Just then, Darcy walked into the room and sat down at the table, across from Tony and next to Steve. She smiled at them both, happy to be in the real world again, anywhere except that god-awful room. She noticed that Steve looked conflicted and tense, as if he was weighing some sort of responsibility. Darcy tried to make eye contact with him but he wouldn't look at her, instead he abruptly got up and left the table in one swift motion. She blinked, trying to reason why he was so angry.

"I've got your room set up. All ready to move in." Tony said quietly while typing away.

Darcy looked up, shocked. "Move in?" she asked, stunned.

"You're obviously a damsel in distress who needs protection from evil. It's either living here or in a SHIELD facility, maybe you'd get to bunk with Fury." Tony said.

Darcy shuddered at the memory of being kept in SHIELD's custody during the battle of New York. Damsel in distress, what an asshole she thought to herself. "Uh, ok. Thanks I guess."

"Food will be here in an hour, it's usually earlier but Pep's at a meeting until 10, so bear with me." he said, taking a sip of his coffee and continuing to type away.

Darcy decided he was too busy to be distracted any further by her and she left to go back to Steve's room and see what was bothering him. She knocked twice on his door lightly before he answered to come in and she opened the door. He was lifting weights and man did he look good doing it. Darcy had to force herself to snap out of it and speak.

"Uh, hey." she said, closing the door behind her and walking to sit near him. "Jesus, do you actually like working out?"

Steve laughed and put the weights down and turned back to face her. "Yeah, it's nice. Focusing all your energy on such a simple task."

Darcy snorted. "Simple for you. I run two minutes on a treadmill and I feel like I'm dying." He thought it was cute how scrawny and weak she was.

"Guess it's not for everyone." he shrugged.

"So... You seem upset... Did I do something?" she asked, unsure of herself.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair which made Darcy's insides go crazy. "You caught onto that, huh?" She nodded. "I-I can't help but feel responsible about what happened. If it weren't for me you wouldn't have been taken." he said, feeling as if everything was her fault.

"That's not true. They thought I was Jane. It had nothing to do with you." Darcy said, excluding what Moonstone had said to her.

He shook his head. "I just think we should quit while we're ahead. Moonstone was being nice. Anyone else would have killed you. I would never forgive myself if someone manipulated my feelings for you and you got hurt. Hell, I can barely forgive myself for nearly killing you."

Darcy felt her heart thud and it felt as if it would burst right out of her chest. "I-is that what you want..." she managed to mumble out. She felt so stupid for thinking someone like Steve would actually take an interest in some girl like her. Normal guys didn't even take an interest, so why would he?

"No! God, no. But I meant what I said last night. I-I can't lose you. If we got any closer it'd just put you in more danger." Steve said in frustration.

Darcy paused and looked up at him. "I don't care." she said softly, and Steve could no longer control himself. He crushed their lips together, desperate for any part of Darcy.


	14. Chapter 14

I'm so sorry this is so delayed. I've been lacking motivation and inspiration to write these past weeks. Also, midterms are this week so it's super cramped for me and I've been really busy with horse stuff. I'm posting another story that may or may not be continued. It's mainly weird LOTR drabble, but you should check it out. Also, I didn't get a huge response to chapter 13, so yeah.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen:**

"I feel sorry for any bastard that's slept with Moonstone." Clint said to Natasha. He was playing a shooting game that proved his abilities translated to video games easily while Natasha lounged on the couch next to him, watching in amusement of american entertainment.

"I feel sorry for any idiot that's slept with you." she said with a small smirk. She got a threatening look for that but it wasn't like that made her shake in her boots.

"Very funny." he said before Pepper walked in with Tony in tow.

"Ok, the wedding is only two weeks away guys. You have outfits and everything picked out?" Pepper asked, looking down at her tablet and checking things off.

"Nope." Clint said with a smile. Natasha rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Yes. Don't worry I took care of him." Natasha said with an irritated voice while Clint beamed at her. Pepper simply kept checking off things. Darcy walked into the room quietly and groaned.

"I'm starving, are we not eating tonight?!" she asked.

"I swear, you eat more than Steve and Thor combined." Tony said with amusement. Darcy threw a pillow at him. They had an odd relationship. Neither tolerated any bullshit, including each other, yet that was what made them get along so well. Tony felt responsible and protective over her after what had happened and Darcy appreciated it.

"Shit!" Pepper yelled, putting a hand to her head. "I forgot to order dinner. Damn it, you are going to drive me insane with this marriage." she yelled, gesturing towards Tony with her tablet before walking off briskly trying to organize her thoughts.

"Wow, I didn't think I'd ever live to see the day Pepper went crazy." Darcy said, looking at Tony. Clint chuckled and she even got a smirk out of Natasha, yet Tony didn't find it amusing.

"She's not crazy she's just in shock of how she'll be married to me in two weeks." Tony said. "I'm pretty sure you would be the same if you were marrying Grandpa."

Darcy cringed. Did they all know? Steve and her didn't put a label to anything, they hadn't even discussed what they were going to do. Her heart fluttered at the thought of even going to the wedding with Steve. Before she could answer him with a witty retort though, the group heard a crack of lightning in the sky.

"Wonder who that could be." Clint said with a smirk. Natasha rolled her eyes at his immaturity and started towards the roof with the rest of them in tow.

When they got up to the roof they were pulled into a massive bear hug by Thor. Darcy was sure she couldn't breath. It was good to have the god back though. And Jane. Well, Jane was going to go crazy once Darcy told her what had happened.

"My friends! How dearly I have missed you!" Thor boomed, gripping them tighter.

Steve came out then, looking fresh from the gym. "Good to have you back, Thor." he said with a smile. "How was Asgard?"

"Amazing!" Jane answered for him. "Like nothing on this planet, literally! Oh god, I can't even begin to explain it!" Thor smiled at how happy he had made Jane.

Tony rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "Not like I'm ever in a rush to go hang out with Fury, but there's some things we need to discuss with our favorite blonde bombshell."

* * *

Once they were all seated at the round table in Tony's meeting room and discussed what had happened, Jane went into a deep silence. The thought of being kidnapped terrified her. She didn't know how Darcy managed to stay calm.

"So Moonstone means to get to another realm?" Thor asked, confused by the sudden bombardment of intel.

"Yes, that's what she told Darcy. It seems as if she wants to get rid of us first, so there's nothing standing in her way once she does get what she wants." Bruce said, running through files on the computer screen. Since Moonstone could easily manipulate Bruce, Fury had put him in charge of the scientific matters at hand on the mission. Bruce had never been so frustrated in researching. It made the Other Guy want to snap Moonstone's neck like a twig.

"Which is why we have to lock the women away in a tower." Tony said bitterly. "No one gets in or out." Natasha glared at him. "Except Natasha."

"If my mind gets screwed with again, I quit." Clint said. Natasha gave him a look and his body softened.

"Don't you see what she's trying to do? You all can't let her effect you like this." Natasha said, exasperated at how easily her team lost sight of goals because of their feelings.

"I don't think Pepper should get kidnapped again until she's my wife." Tony remarked.

"Can you take something seriously for one minute?" Steve said, irritated.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Cap." Tony said which earned a glare from Steve.

"I want this woman captured now!" Thor boomed. He didn't know what stupid thing he would've done if she had taken Jane, but he didn't want to find out.

The whole table erupted in argument and Darcy shrank down in her seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable that she was partly responsible for this. She shook her head, thinking no, it's not my fault. She watched all of the Avengers bickering and wondered how they were ever going to get Moonstone if they couldn't work together. _This is exactly what she wants_ Darcy thought. It was her job to make sure they settled these disputes.


End file.
